Boeing to cut 17,000 jobs as strike hits finances

Boeing will cut 17,000 jobs, delay the first deliveries of its 777X jet by a year, and record $5 billion (AED 18.3 billion) in losses in Q3, as the US planemaker continues to spiral during a month-long strike.

CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a message to employees that the significant downsizing is necessary "to align with our financial reality" after an ongoing strike by 33,000 U.S. West Coast workers halted production of its 737 MAX, 767 and 777 jets.

"We reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and to a more focused set of priorities. Over the coming months, we are planning to reduce the size of our total workforce by roughly 10%. These reductions will include executives, managers and employees," Ortberg's message said.

Boeing shares fell 1.1 per cent in after-market trading.

The sweeping changes are a big move by Ortberg, who arrived in August at the helm of the beleaguered planemaker promising to reset relations with the union and its employees.

Boeing recorded pre-tax earnings charges totaling $5 billion (AED 18.3 billion) for its defense business and two commercial plane programs. On September 20, Boeing ousted the head of its troubled space and defense unit Ted Colbert.

Boeing, which reports third-quarter earnings on October 23, said in a separate release it now expects revenue of $17.8 billion (AED 65.3 billion) a loss per share of $9.97 (AED 36.6), and a better-than-expected negative operating cash flow of $1.3 billion (AED 4.7 billion).

Analysts on average were expecting Boeing to generate a quarterly cash burn of negative $3.8 billion (AED 13.9 billion), according to LSEG data.

Thomas Hayes, equity manager at Great Hill Capital, said the layoffs could put pressure on employees to end the strike.

"Striking workers who temporarily do not have a paycheck do not want to become unemployed workers who permanently do not have a paycheck," Hayes said in an email. "I would estimate the strike will be resolved within a week as these workers do not want to find themselves in the next batch of 17,000 cuts."

Reaching a deal to end the work stoppage is critical for Boeing, which filed an unfair-labor-practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday accusing the machinists union of failing to bargain in good faith. Ratings agency S&P estimated the strike is costing Boeing $1 billion (AED  3.6 billion) a month and the company risks losing its prized investment-grade credit rating.

Ortberg also said Boeing has notified customers that it now expects first delivery of its 777X in 2026 due to challenges in development, the flight-test pause and the work stoppage. Boeing had already faced issues with certification of the 777X that had significantly delayed the plane's launch.

"While our business is facing near-term challenges, we are making important strategic decisions for our future and have a clear view on the work we must do to restore our company," Ortberg added.

Boeing will end its 767 freighter program in 2027 when it completes and delivers the remaining 29 planes ordered but said production for the KC-46A Tanker will continue.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the union representing striking workers, said in a statement Boeing's announcement regarding the 767 commercial freighter was troubling and that it would assess its implications.

IAM also described Boeing's claims against the union with the National Labor Relations Board as groundless.

It said both those claims and the discontinuation of the 767 cargo plane seemed intended to distract from the group's "failure to return to the negotiating table with their frontline workers".

Jon Holden, President of IAM District 751, said in the statement Boeing's attempt to bargain in the press "won’t work and it is detrimental to the bargaining process".

He also said an unwillingness to negotiate would only prolong the strike.